Well, my Kawai MP9000 appears to be dying. When I bought it used, it was my first DP and I needed it for my NYC apartment (neighbors, you know).

I like its compactness on the stand, especially since I'm going to get two of them to do concerto and 2-piano stuff with friends. The room is small. Am I right in assuming that the stage DPs take up less room? I know they are lighter (portability being their main draw).

But, because of the portability factor, are they inferior to the home/console DPs?

Would a Kawai CE200 be a better instrument (action, sound, etc.) than, say the MP8II?

So, I guess my concerns are:

1) quality
2) footprint -- how much space either one would take up.
3) weight -- since I live in a NYC walkup and anything too heavy involves big bucks for moving and dealing with crabby movers who want huge tips in addtion to the extra-weight moving costs already incurred.

I'm new to this, so your advice out there would be much appreciated. Thanks.

Stage DP's are not "inferior," but they are designed for gigging musicians. If you are playing at a level which includes concertos and four-handed pieces, home pianos are the better choice. These will have three pedals and speakers built into their cabinets. (Some stage pianos do, some don't.)

You can improve the sound of either type of DP by using external speakers, but pedals which don't have to be chased around the floor are more difficult to arrange.

If your playing partners are not used to DP's, the home style will seem more natural to them.

A stage piano + stand + pedals will take up pretty much the same amount of space as will a home DP.

Because you're used to the stage configuration, it might be useful to go around to music shops and audition home pianos. As you get used to their shape, it'll be easier to consider them in relation to their appropriateness for what you want to do.

Thanks, FogVille.

Do you know if the home pianos are considerably heavier than the stage ones?

Yes, they are. Probably three or four times heavier, even including stand and pedal unit for the stage type. But you'll only be moving it/them once.

Whichever one/type you decide on, please be sure that delivery is done in its original packing box. The box makes moving a DP much easier, because it can be slid - more easily than you might think. If you resell, the box will help you market it more broadly - eBay, for example.

Aldous, referring to the respective owner's manuals:

MP8II: 35kg (77lbs), 1466 x 442 x 189 mm
CE200: 62kg (137lbs), 1386 x 505 x 873 mm

Note that MP8II is a little heavier than other stage pianos (the Yamaha CP300 weights 32.5 kg) due to the wooden key action.

While the CE200 is a very competitive product, the MP8II offers a superior selection of features and sounds, and is arguably the more logical replacement for your MP9000.

Kind regards,
James
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Thanks, James. I appreciate the info.